Larson Leads Hamlin by 73 Points Despite Hamlin's Better Average Finish

Kyle Larson holds a 73-point lead over Denny Hamlin with two races left in the NASCAR Cup Series championship, and the numbers behind it have fans arguing about the playoff format. Across 34 races, Larson has four crashes, a 14.7 average finish and 20 head-to-head losses to Hamlin, who has no DNFs and a series-best 9.1 average finish. Larson's case rests on time at the front: a series-high 1,238 laps led to Hamlin's 993. Bob Pockrass says Hamlin would likely win under a different points calculation, but notes teams would have raced and planned their seasons differently under a full-season format.